WalesOnline columnist Carl Curtis today reveals how he has been at the heart of talks to break the deadlock over Cardiff City’s historic Langston debt.

WalesOnline columnist Carl Curtis today reveals how he has been at the heart of talks to break the deadlock over Cardiff City’s historic Langston debt.

Curtis, a trusted confidant of former Bluebirds owner Sam Hammam, became a go-between between the Championship club and the Lebanese businessman in moves to find a solution to the long-standing debt, passing on offers and counter-offers in an attempt to find a way forward.

Curtis, a City fan for nearly 30 years, said at one stage the two sides seemed to be – verbally at least – only £1m apart in a prospective deal.

But still no agreement could be found and now Hammam – the sole representative of Langston – and Malaysian businessman Vincent Tan, the club’s major investor, look as far apart as ever.

It was revealed yesterday – in official Cardiff City accounts posted at Companies House, which show an overall club debt of £83m – that if the Langston debt is not resolved by the time the Bluebirds reach the Premier League they will receive a further, one-off payment of £5m.

That money would add to the overall debt owed to the company which, according to the annual accounts posted, now stands at nearly £19.3m repayable by 2016 after building up interest on the original £15m figure thanks to a 7% lending rate.

Tan and Hammam have met only once, but City chairman Dato Chan Tien Ghee and former chief executive Alan Whiteley have also had talks with the former Bluebirds owner.

But any deal has still proved elusive and now Curtis has spoken about the frustrating quest to find agreement.

He said: “The future financial stability of our club is in the hands of two men – Hammam and Tan – and I urge them to come to an agreement that benefits the club.

“They are both personally responsible for the well-being of our club and have the power in their hands to get this deal done.

“That would allow the club to move forward and prosper.”

It was during a telephone call to Whiteley last year that Curtis was asked to make a new offer to Hammam in an attempt to settle the issue once and for all.

“As a result of me making that offer to Sam, for the following number of weeks and into the month of August, I spent a lot of time making changes to the offer at the request of the club,” he said.

“I put the offers to Sam and returned to Alan with the counter-offer.

“The arrangement seemed to open a line of communication which wasn’t there before.

“It wasn’t a situation I expected to find myself in, but it was a role which was both intriguing and interesting nonetheless.

“When I put the first offer to Sam the club and Langston were £7m apart, but by the end of July there was a difference of £1m.

“Unfortunately that deal never came to fruition and since that time another offer made to Langston has lapsed.”

Tan has pledged £100m into Cardiff City, an investment which has seen a controversial colour rebrand from blue to red.

But the money has been supplied in the form of a loan which has gained interest at 7%.

Tan has said he will convert loans into shares and equity once a deal with Langston had been settled.

And Tan has certainly invested in the playing staff, big-money signings like Craig Bellamy (wages if not transfer fee), Craig Noone, Nicky Maynard and Jordon Mutch steering City 10 points clear at the top of the Championship with 18 games remaining.

England striker Fraizer Campbell has become the latest addition in the January transfer window for a fee which could rise close to £1m.

But Curtis said: “Tan needs the club to be in the Premier League to save his investment and go ahead with the plans he has for the club to build value and assets.

“The problem he has is that the closer City move to promotion the stronger Langston’s position looks.

“If City do go up I can’t see Langston wanting to do a deal other than for the full amount due – they would be due a promotion bonus, still have the naming rights to the stadium and the loan note debt would still be hanging over the club.

“I speak to Sam on a regular basis and he still maintains a love and affinity of the club.

“He constantly assures me that he would never do anything to harm our club.

“But this has dragged on too long already and I’m sure every City fan would want this issue resolved for the club to move forward.”

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